Femtosecond laser micro-structuring in biopolymers of celulose and fibroin: fabrication of photonic devices

Abstract

Biopolymers have become the focus of recent advances in the development of photonic devices, which glimpse biocompatibility, biodegradability and sustainability. Cellulose and fibroin silk are abundant natural polymers that in the last decade have been used for the design of new multifunctional materials for a variety promising technological applications. At the same time, pulse of femtosecond laser has been explored as an important tool in the processing of advanced materials, aiming at the production of photonic devices. In this project, we are interesting in the study of microfabrication processes in biopolymer films of cellulose nanocrystals and silk fibroin using femtosecond pulses. These films will be doped with carbon nanoparticles and europium complexes, which show interesting luminescent and non-linear properties. In this context, it will be determined the conditions for microfabrication, aimed at producing of waveguides. From these studies, we intend to produce waveguides within the bulk of film in a first step in the production of integrated photonic devices. In this sense, the implementation and execution of this project should provide results that contribute to the development of both the basic point of view of application of non-linear optical devices, exploring new possibilities in materials processing. (AU)